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AN-4162 — Switch Node Ring Control
in TinyBuck® Regulators
Overview
To maximize system efficiency, buck regulators minimize
power loss in the switching MOSFETs, inductor, capacitors,
controller, and printed circuit board traces. Fairchild’s
TinyBuck® family of synchronous buck regulators combines
low RDS,ON MOSFETs with a driver capable of delivering
fast switching speeds with short dead times in a single
package. The fast switching speeds help minimize switching
loss, but can contribute to voltage ringing on the switch
node when the high-side MOSFET turns on. The ringing
should be monitored and limited to levels that keep the
MOSFET switches and controller pins within the safe
operating region while meeting relevant derating guidelines.
Synchronous Buck Schematic with Parasitics
Figure 1 shows a TinyBuck® circuit used to step down an
input supply voltage to a lower output voltage to power a
load; such as a system rail, I/O, memory, or bias power.
Bias
Supply
Input
Supply
PVcc
Boot
Vin
DB
LHS-D
CIN
HS
CBOOT
LHS-S
This application note provides insight into the non-ideal
circuit components that contribute to switch node ringing,
along with methods that can be used to reduce ringing.
Practical examples are presented to assist in the selection of
components to control ringing by adding a boot resistor,
snubber components, or a combination of the two. The data
provided illustrates the tradeoffs between reduction in
switch node ringing and efficiency.
L
VOUT
SW
LLS-D
LS
LCIN
COSS
MCM
Boundary
COUT
LLS-S
L
O
A
D
PGND
Buck Switch Node Ringing
The need to control ringing produced by the switching of
power semiconductors has existed in industry as long as
semiconductor devices have been used in Switching Mode
Power Supplies (SMPS). In general, the ringing must be
monitored and controlled to within the datasheet limits of
device voltage ratings to ensure reliable operation. The
techniques to reduce and control switch-node ringing
provide a secondary benefit because reduced ringing
generally leads to reduced noise from the switcher that can
be conducted or radiated from the power circuitry.
The non-isolated buck converter discussed in this note is a
subset of the SMPS non-isolated topologies; including buck,
boost, and buck-boost circuits that utilize a combination of
switch/diode/inductor switching network to process power
with efficient switching techniques. In high current
applications, the diode is typically replaced by the low-side
MOSFET and driven ON when the diode normally
conducts, leading to the term “synchronous” buck converter.
© 2013 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
Rev. 1.0.1 • 10/23/14
®
Figure 1. TinyBuck Circuit with Parasitic Components
The power components in the TinyBuck® Multi-Chip
Module (MCM) indicated by the dashed blue box include
the High-Side (HS) MOSFET and Low-Side (LS)
MOSFET, associated gate drive circuitry for each, and the
boot diode, DB. The junction of the MOSFETs and the
output inductor is commonly referred to as the Switch (SW)
Node and the voltage on the SW node is designated VSW.
Depending on the particular situation, the bias supply can be
provided using the onboard linear regulator in the
TinyBuck® family members with “SV” in the name (for
single-voltage operation) or supplied from an external 5 V
source. The input, output, and boot capacitors and the power
inductor are components external to the MCM.
In addition to the power processing components, Figure 1
shows parasitic components that play a significant role in
creating the ring voltage waveform visible on the SW node.



LHS-D: parasitic inductance in series with HS drain
LHS-S: parasitic inductance in series with HS source
COSS: parasitic output capacitance of LS MOSFET
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AN-4162



APPLICATION NOTE
LLS-D: parasitic inductance in series with LS drain
LLS-S: parasitic inductance in series with LS source
LCIN: parasitic inductance in series with input capacitor
CIN, with contributions from both the component and
printed circuit board.
Figure 3 and Figure 4 show an example of probing the
TinyBuck® using two different oscilloscope probes. In
Figure 3, the Tektronix TDP1000 1 GHz Differential Probe
is shown. In Figure 4, the LeCroy PP008, 500 MHz SingleEnded Probe is used.
Synchronous Buck Switching Waveforms
Figure 2 represents steady-state operation in a buck
converter operating in Continuous Conduction Mode
(CCM). In this mode, the inductor current alternates
between the high-side MOSFET and low-side MOSFET
during each switching cycle. The cycle begins in the green
interval when the LS gate is high and the low-side MOSFET
is carrying the inductor current. When the LS gate signal
goes LOW, the low-side MOSFET turns off and the
inductor current flows through the body diode of the lowside MOSFET. After a short dead time, the high-side
MOSFET is turned on and current flows to force the body
diode of the low-side MOSFET off. As the body diode
undergoes reverse recovery, the voltage on SW begins to
rise and the ringing waveform results from the interaction of
parasitic inductances and the switch node capacitance
(primarily consisting of the COSS of the low-side MOSFET).
Figure 3. Probing Technique using Tektronix TDP1000
IL
LS HS
LS
HS
LS
ILpk-pk
Vpk
Vin
VSW
TSW=1/FSW
HS gate
LS gate
Figure 2. Synchronous Buck Steady-State Waveforms
Switch Node Probing Technique
Proper probing techniques are necessary to evaluate the
switch node ringing in fast switching buck regulator circuits
such as TinyBuck®. The probe must be capable of
responding to very fast edge rates, on the order of a few
nanoseconds, so the voltage probe should have a minimum
bandwidth of 500 MHz. The circuit should be probed as
close as possible to the terminals of the low-side MOSFET
in the MCM package. In the TinyBuck® MCM, the
reference of the probe should be on PGND pins 18-21 and
the probe tip should be on the SW node pins 12-17. The
observed waveforms can vary significantly if the probe
points move even a few millimeters from device terminals.
© 2013 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
Rev. 1.0.1 • 10/23/14
Figure 4. Probing Technique using LeCroy PP008
The differential probe is shown using the probe attachment
with two short leads. With the single-ended probe, the tip
cover and ground lead have been removed and the ground
lead and clip have been replaced by the short ground spring
installed on the lower body. In both examples, the area of
the probe loop has been minimized and the probe
connections made close to the MCM. Similar results were
obtained when using both probe techniques.
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2
AN-4162
APPLICATION NOTE
Typical VSW Waveform
RB in Series with CBOOT
Figure 5 shows an example of a typical VSW waveform for
the FAN2315 TinyBuck® regulator installed on the
TinyBuck® evaluation board(1). In the standard
configuration, an input voltage rail of 12 V is converted to
an output voltage of 1.2 V with a load current from 0-15 A.
For the following discussion, the board is operated at the
maximum recommended voltage of 15 V for TinyBuck®
products using 25 V MOSFETs, and the load is 15 A.
Figure 6 shows the synchronous buck schematic with the
highlighted resistor, RB, installed in series with the bootstrap
capacitor, CBOOT. The voltage on CBOOT allows the HS driver
to provide a positive voltage from the gate to source of the
HS MOSFET for turn on, then to hold the gate voltage
constant as VSW rises to VIN. Internal to the MCM, the
BOOT pin is tied to PVCC through diode DB and, external
to the MCM, the BOOT pin is connected to the more
positive portion of the series combination of R B and CBOOT.
The more negative terminal of CBOOT is connected to the
SW node. When the HS MOSFET turns off and the LS
MOSFET turns on, the SW node falls to ground and CBOOT
is recharged through DB.
Bias
Supply
Input
Supply
PVcc
Boot
Vin
DB
RB
LHS-D
CIN
HS
HS
Driver
LHS-S
L
VOUT
SW
Figure 5. Switch Node Original Ring Waveform
LLS-D
LS
Driver
In this waveform, the peak voltage is 24.2 V and the switch
node ring frequency is 185 MHz. The peak voltage is
approximately 97% of the MOSFET maximum voltage
rating of 25 V. This provides only minimal margin
compared to the MOSFET voltage rating of 25 V. Many
corporate design guidelines recommend that the peak
voltage be limited to 90% or less of the absolute maximum
value. The following sections examine methods to reduce
the peak VSW ringing to these typical guidelines.
MCM
Boundary
LS
COSS
LCIN
COUT
LLS-S
L
O
A
D
PGND
Figure 6. Boot Resistor in Series with CBOOT
When the controller gives the command to turn the HS
MOSFET on, the boot resistor limits the current available to
charge the gate of the HS MOSFET, increasing the time
needed to turn the HS MOSFET on. The increased
switching time slows the SW node rate of rise and can have
a significant impact on the peak voltage on the SW node.
Methods to Reduce VSW Ringing
The TinyBuck® regulators have internal MOSFETs and
drivers designed to work together for high system
efficiency. However, in some applications, the VSW ring
voltage may need to be limited or reduced and there are
techniques available to control the SW node ringing.
Figure 7 shows a series of waveforms as the boot resistor is
increased: 0 Ω, 1 Ω, 2.2 Ω, and 3.3 Ω. With RB=0 Ω, the
initial VSW peak ring voltage is approximately 25 V and is
decreased to below 20 V when RB=3.3 Ω. As RB is
increased, the peaks and valleys of the switch node ringing
are reduced while the ring frequency is relatively unchanged
with each increase of the RB value.
The first step is to optimize the PCB layout to reduce
parasitic inductance of the primary power path, consisting of
the input capacitor and switching MOSFETs. Guidelines for
optimal PCB layout are included in each datasheet for the
TinyBuck® regulator family and are not repeated here.
Second, a resistor, RB, can be added in series with the
bootstrap capacitor to slow down the turn-on transition of
the high-side MOSFET, as discussed in the following
section. Third, a snubber circuit can be installed from the
SW node to GND to modify the SW node rise time and
overshoot. This is discussed following the section on R B.
© 2013 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
Rev. 1.0.1 • 10/23/14
CBOOT
It should be noted that adding the boot resistor only affects
the turn-on of the HS MOSFET and the associated rising
edge of the SW node voltage. A similar function could be
performed by moving the resistor in series with the gate of
the HS MOSFET, but, in that location, the resistor reduces
the switching speed for the turn-on and turn-off intervals.
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3
AN-4162
APPLICATION NOTE
30
from the BOOT to SW pins. If this voltage drop is large, the
voltage on the HS MOSFET gate-source is reduced,
possibly leading to slow device turn-on. In applications with
short on times resulting from combinations of low VOUT,
high VIN, or high switching frequency; the internal timing of
the level-shift circuitry may be affected.
25
20
15
VSW (V)
For these reasons, the value of the boot resistor should be
kept small and any modifications to the MOSFET drive
circuitry should be tested and evaluated completely under
all conditions of VIN, VOUT, and temperature extremes to
ensure robust performance.
10
RB = 0 ohms
RB = 1 ohm
RB = 2.2 ohms
RB = 3.3 ohms
5
0
Snubbers
In electrical systems, the term “snubber” generally refers to
a device or circuit used to suppress or “snub” voltage
transients in a circuit. In this note, the term snubber refers to
a series connection of a resistor and capacitor from the
switch node to power ground across the LS MOSFET in a
buck converter. The snubber can help control the rate of rise
and fall time of the switch node voltage, while providing
damping of the resonances in the parasitic components’
switching circuit.
-5
-5.0E-9
5.0E-9
15.0E-9
Time (s)
Figure 7. Effect of RB Values on SW Ring Amplitude
Figure 8 shows an efficiency comparison with boot resistors
of 0 Ω and 2.2 Ω. With RB=2.2 Ω, the peak of the SW node
voltage is <22 V, which provides a stress ratio < 90% of the
MOSFET compared to the MOSFET voltage rating of 25 V.
In this example, adding the boot resistor of 2.2 Ω does not
cause a noticeable loss in efficiency below one-half load and
only a small efficiency loss from one-half to full load.
Efficiency (%)
95
Historical Perspective on Snubbers
There have been numerous articles and application notes
concerning the use of snubbers to modify the behavior of
switching circuits. Many of the earlier references were
focused on offline power converters utilizing components in
packages much larger than the packages in modern
synchronous buck converters. In these publications, the
circuit is treated as a second-order system and the snubber
components are selected to damp the resonances of parasitic
components in the power stage. In integrated buck
regulators, the techniques are still useful, but careful
attention is required to minimize total circuit losses to
maintain high efficiency.
15Vin, 1.2Vo, 500kHz
90
Rb=2.2 ohms, No Snubber
85
Rb=0 ohms, No snubber
William McMurray authored a classic paper (2) that provided
a framework for the selection of snubber components to
either minimize voltage overshoot compared to the input
voltage or to control the dv/dt (volts per second) to a
minimum value. In subsequent work(3), Rudy Severns
described a method for a quick snubber design technique
and provided a practical example of an optimized snubber
using the methods of McMurray. Philip C. Todd provided
an extensive treatment of snubbers(4), including dissipative
snubbers, such as the resistor-capacitor utilized to control
switch node ringing and the class of non-dissipative
snubbers that use resonant techniques to recycle stored
energy to the input or output voltage rails to reduce the
energy lost in the power switching process.
80
0
5
10
15
Load Current (A)
Figure 8. RB Effect on Efficiency
Considerations When Adding RB
The addition of RB can be used to reduce the VSW ring
voltage with a small impact on the total solution efficiency.
However, it must be noted that adding a resistor in series
with the bootstrap capacitor can introduce circuit effects
beyond slowing the high-side MOSFET transition time.
Yen-Ming Chen presents a thorough review(5) of the design
and use of snubbers using the second-order approximation
of preceding authors. This work includes an investigation
into the validity of the second-order approximation using
simulation and bench testing and shows that higher-order
effects make different analysis techniques applicable. These
higher-order effects arise due to the multiple resonant paths
For example, the voltage between the BOOT to SW pins
serves as the bias power supply for the HS driver and the
level-shift circuitry that transmits control information
between the controller and HS gate driver. When the HS
MOSFET is turned on, the current that flows from the
bootstrap capacitor though RB causes a drop in the voltage
© 2013 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
Rev. 1.0.1 • 10/23/14
www.fairchildsemi.com
4
AN-4162
APPLICATION NOTE
Estimate Parasitic Inductance
visible in the buck converter schematic, leading to
introduction of the Root-Loci approach for snubber
optimization in buck converters.
To estimate the parasitic inductance in series with the switch
node, two waveform measurements are required. First, the
initial ring frequency of the switch node with no added
components is measured. Next, an external capacitor is
attached from switch node to ground to reduce the ring
frequency by approximately 50% and the measurement of
ring frequency is repeated. The change in the period of the
resonant ring frequency when changing from the original
capacitance CSW to CSW+CEXT determines the parasitic
inductance using the following procedure:
This application note shows how snubbers fit in the
designer’s toolkit to help control switch node ringing, while
keeping an eye on the resultant power loss. The secondorder approximation is used to make the initial snubber
component selections and lab data is provided to illustrate
the tradeoffs when using different values of snubber
capacitors and resistors.
Snubber Circuit Schematic
The natural resonant frequency of the L-C circuit can be
expressed in radians per second ωn and Hertz fn as:
Figure 9 shows the connection of snubber components RSN
and CSN in the schematic for the TinyBuck® synchronous
buck regulator schematic.
Bias
Supply
(1)
Input
Supply
PVcc
Boot
(2)
Vin
CBOOT
DB
LHS-D
CIN
where Lp=parasitic inductance and CSW=capacitance of
switch node with no external capacitor attached.
HS
LHS-S
L
The equation can be manipulated to provide an expression
for the period (squared) of the resonant ring interval with no
external capacitance:
VOUT
SW
LLS-D
RSN
LS
COSS
MCM
Boundary
LLS-S
COUT
LCIN
CSN
L
O
A
D
(3)
In a similar fashion, the resonant ring interval with added
external capacitance can be expressed as:
PGND
(4)
Subtracting Equation (3) from Equation (4) yields an
expression(3) that calculates LP in Equation (5):
Figure 9. Circuit with Added R-C Snubber
In the typical application of the second-order approximation
for snubber design as summarized by Chen(5), the snubber
resistor value is selected to have an impedance similar in
magnitude to the impedance of the power circuit parasitic
components to be damped. The snubber capacitor value is
selected to have a value slightly larger than the parasitic
capacitance in the power circuit but constrained in value by
practical limits related to power loss and component size
requirements. In practical circuits, the snubber components
are evaluated empirically using a procedure such as the one
presented in the following paragraphs.
(5)
These equations are applied to evaluate the parasitic
inductance for the circuit used to produce the waveform in
Figure 4, in which the cursor measurement shows the initial
ring frequency is 185 MHz with no external capacitance on
the switch node, resulting ring period T1=5.4 ns.
Figure 10 shows the VSW waveform after CEXT=2.2 nF is
added to the switch node, in parallel with the drain and
source of the LS MOSFET. This capacitor is installed on the
top side of the PCB in close proximity to the MCM.
Determine Snubber Component Values
The following steps provide general guidelines to help
select and apply snubber circuits using empirical methods:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Estimate parasitic circuit inductance
Estimate parasitic switch node capacitance
Determine snubber resistor value
Select initial snubber capacitor value
To determine an effective value for the snubber resistor, the
approximate values of the parasitic inductance and
capacitance of the switch node requires evaluation.
© 2013 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
Rev. 1.0.1 • 10/23/14
www.fairchildsemi.com
5
AN-4162
APPLICATION NOTE
Determine Snubber Capacitor Value and Size
The snubber capacitor value should be selected with
consideration of the engineering tradeoffs between
controlling the switch node ringing and the power loss
associated with larger capacitor size. The snubber capacitor
should be larger than the circuit capacitance to be snubbed;
often selected to be two to three times the value of the
calculated parasitic capacitance. Using the calculated CSW
value of 673 pF, the snubber capacitor is evaluated using this
guideline. Test data is presented using 1200 pF and 2.2 nF.
Figure 10. VSW with Parallel 2.2 nF Capacitor Added
Snubber Test Data
In this waveform, the peak ring voltage is reduced from
24.2 V to 23 V and the ring frequency has reduced from
185 MHz to 89 MHz, resulting in a ring period for
T2=11.2 ns. There is an inflection visible near the peak of
the initial ring, indicating there may be additional frequency
components involved in the observed waveform. Plugging
the values for T2, T1, and CEXT into Equation (5) allows
calculation for the parasitic inductance.
Figure 11 includes both the original switch node ring
waveform and the waveform using the calculated snubber
(2.2 nF plus 0.68 Ω).
30
25
=1.1nH
20
VSW (V)
This parasitic inductance value of 1.1 nH is used to calculate
values for the snubber components.
Estimate Parasitic Switch Node Capacitance
The primary component of switch node capacitance CSW is
COSS of the LS MOSFET, in addition to other parasitic
components. The following procedure does not require that
the value of COSS be known and yields an estimate of the
total CSW. After the parasitic inductance is known, the
estimated switch node capacitance can be evaluated by
rearranging Equation (2).
15
10
5
Original VSW, no Snubber
Snubber = 2.2uF + 0.68 ohm
0
-1E-08
-5
0
1E-08
2E-08
Time (s)
Figure 11. Snubber Effect on Switch Node
The snubber reduces the VSW ring waveform below 20 V,
which provides a stress rating slightly below 80% of the
25 V maximum rating of the MOSFETs. In this 500 kHz
application operating in continuous conduction mode, the
loss in the snubber is approximately 0.25 W during each
switching cycle. To ensure that a resistor can handle the
calculated power without excessive temperature rise, the
selected package should be capable of dissipating a power
equal to twice the calculated value.
Calculate Snubber Resistor Value/Size
The snubber resistor value is selected to ensure the damping
ratio is close to unity for fast rise time with minimal
overshoot. The damping ratio ζ is given by:
(6)
Setting ζ=1 the value for the snubber resistor can be
calculated as:
In the data presented, the snubber is populated on the top
(component) side of the PCB in close proximity to the
TinyBuck® MCM using a bridge connection, as shown in
Figure 12. This snubber placement helps minimize the
higher-order effects added because of the inductance
through vias. Via inductance is often considered to be on the
order of a few nH, but the actual via inductance is a
complicated function of the PCB structure(6).
(7)
The resistor must charge and discharge the snubber
capacitor in each switching cycle. Therefore, the power
dissipated in the resistor can be calculated as:
(8)
© 2013 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
Rev. 1.0.1 • 10/23/14
www.fairchildsemi.com
6
AN-4162
APPLICATION NOTE
Figure 14 shows the converter efficiency with VIN=15 V
using three different configurations:
1. No snubber installed (top trace)
2. Snubber = 1.2nF + 0.68 Ω (middle trace)
3. Snubber = 2.2nF + 0.68 Ω (bottom trace)
With no snubber installed, the efficiency is highest and
reaches a peak efficiency of 91% at one-half load (7.5 A).
The middle curve shows the efficiency with the snubber
capacitor reduced to 1.2 nF is 90% at 7.5 A. When the
snubber with 2.2 nF is installed, the efficiency in the bottom
curve is 89% at 7.5 A. These curves indicate the gradual
loss in efficiency that can be expected with increasing the
snubber capacitor size.
95
15Vi, 1.2Vo, 500kHz
Figure 12. Snubber Installed Close to MCM
90
Efficiency (%)
To verify performance of the selected damping resistance,
the resistor value is varied from 0.47 Ω to 3.3 Ω with the
snubber capacitor held constant at 2.2 nF. Figure 13 shows
that for resistor values ≥ 1 Ω, the peak voltage is greater
than that found using RSN=0.68 Ω. With RSN=0.47 Ω, the
first voltage peak is less that the second voltage peak. This
indicates that the value of 0.68 Ω is close to the maximally
damped condition. Even though the VSW ring characteristic
changes, the snubber power loss is relatively constant
because it is based on capacitor value, not the resistor value.
No Snubber
85
Sn=1.2nF & 0.68 ohm
Sn=2.2nF & 0.68 ohm
80
75
25
0
5
10
15
Load Current (A)
Figure 14. Efficiency Comparing Three Snubber
Configurations
20
With the 1.2 nF snubber capacitor offering expected
efficiency improvement, it is necessary to evaluate the effect
of the reduced capacitance on snubber performance. Figure
15 shows the changes in the VSW ring waveform as the
snubber capacitor is reduced from 2.2 nF to 1.2 nF. The
peak VSW voltage increases slightly, but remains below
22 V to provide a stress ratio below 90%.
VSW (V)
15
Sn=2.2nF+3.3 ohms
10
Sn=2.2nF+1.5 ohms
5
Sn=2.2nF+1 ohm
Sn=2.2nF+0.47 ohm
25
0
-5.00E-09
5.00E-09
1.50E-08
20
-5
15
VSW (V)
Time (s)
Figure 13. Snubber Resistor Varied with CSN=2.2 nF
In the preceding example, the snubber capacitor is selected
as 2.2 nF. It is important to consider the effect the snubber
has on efficiency and to reduce the capacitor value and
associated power loss to as small a value as possible. The
following data includes snubber capacitor values of 2.2 nF
and 1.2 nF. The 1.2 nF snubber capacitor introduces a power
loss of 0.14 W; approximately one-half the loss contributed
by the 2.2 nF snubber.
© 2013 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
Rev. 1.0.1 • 10/23/14
10
Sn=1.2nF+0.68 ohm;
Rb=0 ohm
Sn=2.2nF+0.68 ohm;
Rb=0 ohm
5
0
-5.0E-9
-5
5.0E-9
15.0E-9
Time (s)
Figure 15. Comparison of Snubber, Two Capacitor Values
www.fairchildsemi.com
7
AN-4162
APPLICATION NOTE
As a final step in selecting the best solution for a particular
application, a boot resistor is combined with the smaller
snubber capacitor of 1.2 nF. Figure 16 shows the combination
of the snubber with a 1.2 nF capacitor with RB=1 Ω.
95
Efficiency (%)
15Vi, 1.2Vo, 500kHz
25
20
90
85
Sn=1.2nF & 0.68 ohm;
RB=0 ohm
VSW (V)
15
Sn=1.2nF & 0.68 ohm;
Rb=1 ohm
80
10
5
0
-5.0E-9
-5
Sn=1.2nF+0.68 ohm;
Rb=0 ohm
Sn=1.2nF+0.68 ohm;
Rb=1 ohm
5.0E-9
15.0E-9
75
0
5
10
15
Load Current (A)
Figure 18. Efficiency Comparing Snubber with / without
Small RB
Time (s)
Figure 16. Small Snubber with / without RB
The initial VSW ring bump is reduced to below 20 V, while
the second bump is not noticeably changed.
Summary
It is worthwhile to compare the V SW waveforms of the
2.2 nF, 0.68 Ω snubber to the 1.2 nF, 0.68 Ω snubber with
RB=1 Ω, as shown in Figure 18. These waveforms show that
using the smaller capacitor in conjunction with RB=1 Ω can
limit the peak VSW voltage ≤ 20 V in a similar manner to the
larger 2.2 nF snubber capacitor.
The design engineer has several tools available to help
address switch node voltage ringing. First, the PCB should
be optimized such that component placement provides the
minimal circuit area and trace lengths. If careful probing
shows that the switch node ringing is higher than desired;
circuit modifications, such as a boot resistor and/or a
snubber circuit, can be added to limit the VSW ringing to
acceptable levels.
25
20
This application note shows that a boot resistor can be used
to reduce the amplitude of VSW ringing with relatively small
impact on converter efficiency. However, RB does not
reduce the frequency of the switch node ring waveform,
which may be needed to address EMI issues.
VSW (V)
15
-5.0E-9
10
5
Sn=1.2nF+0.68 ohm;
Rb=1 ohm
0
Sn=2.2nF+0.68 ohm;
Rb=0 ohm
-5
5.0E-9
In situations where additional switch node ring control is
needed, a snubber can be added to reduce both the
amplitude and the ring frequency found on VSW. Guidelines
are provided to select snubber components and to highlight
the effects of different snubber component values on the
VSW ring voltage and efficiency of a typical buck regulator.
15.0E-9
Time (s)
Figure 17. Two Configurations of Snubber and RB
With the VSW voltage of 20 V, it is useful to check the efficiency
with the snubber of 1.2 nF + 0.68 Ω, using RB=1 Ω. As shown in
Figure 18, there is very minimal loss in efficiency with RB=1 Ω.
© 2013 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
Rev. 1.0.1 • 10/23/14
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AN-4162
APPLICATION NOTE
Related Product Resources
FAN2315 — TinyBuck® 15 A Integrated Synchronous Buck Regulator
References
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
FAN2315 Evaluation Board
William McMurray, Optimum Snubbers For Power Semiconductors, IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications,
Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/TIA.1972.349788, pages 593-600.
Rudy Severns, Design of Circuits for Power Circuits, Application Note written for Cornell Dubilier Electronics, Inc.
www.cde.com/tech/design
Philip C. Todd, Snubber Circuits: Theory, Design and Practice, Unitrode Power Seminar 900 Topic 2, May 1993.
Yen-Ming Chen, “RC Snubber Design using Root-Loci Approach for Synchronous Buck SMPS,”
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/OWTU/TC-OWTU-526.pdf.
Dr. Howard Johnson, Via Inductance, article published by Signal Consulting Inc,
http://www.sigcon.com/Pubs/news/6_04.htm.
DISCLAIMER
FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES WITHOUT FURTHER NOTICE TO ANY PRODUCTS
HEREIN TO IMPROVE RELIABILITY, FUNCTION, OR DESIGN. FAIRCHILD DOES NOT ASSUME ANY LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF THE
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LIFE SUPPORT POLICY
FAIRCHILD’S PRODUCTS ARE NOT AUTHORIZED FOR USE AS CRITICAL COMPONENTS IN LIFE SUPPORT DEVICES OR SYSTEMS
WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN APPROVAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION.
As used herein:
1.
Life support devices or systems are devices or systems
which, (a) are intended for surgical implant into the body, or
(b) support or sustain life, or (c) whose failure to perform
when properly used in accordance with instructions for use
provided in the labeling, can be reasonably expected to
result in significant injury to the user.
© 2013 Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation
Rev. 1.0.1 • 10/23/14
2.
A critical component is any component of a life support
device or system whose failure to perform can be reasonably
expected to cause the failure of the life support device or
system, or to affect its safety or effectiveness.
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